Brooklyn High School Alumni
Brooklyn Hall of Fame
The Brooklyn Hall of Fame Committee is made up of a group of former Brooklyn High School Alumni.
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Presenting the Brooklyn City Schools Hall of Fame Class of 2023
The BCSD is proud to announce the Brooklyn City Schools Hall of Fame Class of 2023. Congratulations to Ken Soeder (1981), Len Trocano (1974), Jocelyn Rivera (2013), Kathy Kudravi (1983), Mark Maliniak (2004), Patricia Dehaney (1972), and members of the 1998 Brooklyn High School Varsity Baseball Team, and the 1983 Brooklyn High School Varsity Softball Team on this prestigious honor! Each individual inductee was selected based on noteworthy academic, athletic, and co-curricular accomplishments during their high school careers, as well as significant career and other life achievements. The 1998 Varsity Baseball and 1983 Varsity Softball teams were recognized for their respective successes in the state tournament as well as accomplishments by individual team members. Please read below to learn more about the many impressive accomplishments of each new Hall of Fame member. On behalf of the district, congratulations once again to the Brooklyn City Schools Hall of Fame Class of 2023. Go Hurricanes!
Ken Soeder
Class of 1981
Four sport athlete in Wrestling, Baseball, Football and Track and Field
Plain Dealer Dream Team, 1st Team All-Conference (offense & defense), Honorable Mention All-Conference, led conference in scoring and named AP Northeast Ohio First Team Offense for Varsity Football Team
MVP on undefeated 1980 football team, Honorable Mention All-Ohio senior year, and East-West All Star Game participant
Len Trocano
Class of 1974
Four sport athlete and elected captain in three different sports
1st Team All-Conference in Football (1973) and Baseball (1972), and led conference with .528 batting average in 1972
Received full football scholarship to The University of Iowa, and attended CSU, Walsh University, and Canyon College of Idaho
Prestigious career includes current title of Managing Director at world-wide rubber manufacturer, Anderson International
Class of 2013
Four-year Varsity Softball and Two-year Varsity Volleyball player
Holds Brooklyn HS records for strikeouts, shutouts, and lowest ERA in a single season. Batting average of .508 during junior year.
2nd Team All-Conference in 2011 and 2012 for Volleyball
Played Division I Softball at Ball State and The University of Montevallo
First Hispanic female in school history to receive an athletic scholarship
Class of 1983
Co-editor of school newspaper and National Honor Society member
Earned Journalism degree from Kent State University
Recipient of two Emmy Awards for Best Daily Sports Show and recognized by the Foreign Press Association
Coordinating producer for ESPN (1999-2012), Sports Editorial Director at CNN (2012-2014), and Digital Director of the American Sports Network (2015-2017)
Currently the Executive Editor of The New International Sports Research and Knowledge Lab at Arizona State University
Chair of the Executive Committee on Civil Rights and Social Action for the Association for Women in Sports Media
Mark Maliniak
Class of 2004
Band officer, section leader, drum major for Marching Band, and held first chairs in concert band, MAC8 honors band, and jazz ensemble
Member of National Honor Society
Has toured nationally and internationally with the Cleveland Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The San Francisco Symphony, and The Buffalo Philharmonic
Recipient of the Dr. Calvin E. Weber Award for excellence in trumpet performance and the Roger Voisin Trumpet Award in 2011
Previously an Assistant Professor of Trumpet at The University of Akron and is currently Fourth Trumpet in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Patricia Dehaney
Class of 1972
Member of the first Cosmetology graduating class under Mrs. Ellen Aynik
Academy Award winner for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for Vice in 2019
Recipient of the Critics Choice Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival
Multiple award nominations including Achievement in Best Hairstyling for Makeup and Hairstylist Guild Awards (3x) and British Academy Film Awards (2x) for the movies Vice and Hillbilly Elegy
1998 Baseball Team
Front row: Joe McNamee, Matt Antal, Dave Laule, Matt Field, Jack Abbruzzese, Mike Cole.
Second row: Coach Stanton, Andy Jankowski, Dan Gutschmidt, Bob Fronek, Micky Cruxton, Coach Hengsteller
Coached by John Hengsteler and Jeff Stanton
State Final Four finalist
Multiple players were State winners and placers, All-Ohio and conference level award winners, and recognized for athletic accomplishments at Brooklyn High School and at collegiate level
Exceeded expectations and exemplified hard work and playing as a unit over individual play
1983 Softball Team
Bottom row: Lisa Murphey, Sandy Wohlgemuth, Lisa Neville, Diane Wohlgemuth, Mel Merhaut, Maria Booms, Cheryl Haschak, Cheryl Karkosiak, Vickie Erhardt, Sandy Coyle, Coach Thompson.
Top row: Coach Kelber, Kay Beppler, Cathy Hartman, Kelly Wild, Donna Sullivan, Paula Kirlough, Chris Fields, Renee Timas, Shari Lowther, Lora Vrsansky, Dawn Flinn, Coach Patton.
Led by first year head coach Bob Kelber to the AA state tournament in Ashland with a 6-5 win over Columbus Desales in the regional finals. Lost in the state semifinals to Warsaw River by a score of 6-2.
Posted a perfect 13-0 conference record, winning the Inland Conference Championship, while compiling an 18-2 overall record
Nine players earned All-Inland Conference awards
Coach Joe Drago Wrestling Room
Varsity and Middle School wrestling room to be renamed after legendary Brooklyn Coach Joe Drago
Coached Wrestling, Softball, and Football at Brooklyn High School
Inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame